Under current North Carolina law, adopted children may not be given the identity of biological parents. If passed by the General Assembly, House Bill 1037 would provide an open state registry through which an adopted child might locate biological parents

New legislation in 1987 brings some changes to family law in North Carolina. The Uniform Premarital Agreement Act does away with the limitations on non-property rights for pre-marital agreements, while the procedure for equitable distribution was altered to allow parties to file an action any time after separation. Two acts became effective this year to require income withholding for those delinquent in child support. Judges are also required to consider joint custody if either parent requests it. Several laws also affect the consent for adoption and placement of children under the age of six months. Lastly, legislation now provides a concrete definition for what constitutes domestic violence and how law enforcement makes arrests in these situations.